Gift-card scams on the rise in lead-up to Christmas, police warn
Smooth-talking fraudsters with “call centres” are using more ingenious ways to fleece innocent victims – with a new scam now taking hold.
SA News
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Fraudsters using gift card scams to fleece innocent victims is emerging as a major new crime of concern, senior police warn.
Detectives have revealed cybercrime has significantly increased, especially romance scams, gift card payments for fake debts and a doubling of investment-related fraud such as cryptocurrency or bitcoin.
Organised crime gangs are becoming increasingly ingenious in methods, often posing as legitimate businesses, operating “call centres” of smooth-talking criminals while using technology to boost their credentials when targeting “vulnerable” people.
In a warning ahead of the festive season, authorities have urged people to be more vigilant about scammers and to not be ashamed to speak to family or police when money has been stolen.
Australians last year lost more than $850m to scams.
Officer in Charge of SA Police’s Financial and Cybercrime Investigation Branch, Detective Superintendent Adam Rice, said gift card fraud was a “big issue for us at the moment”.
Scammers fraudulently claim to be from the Australian Taxation Office, federal police or a government agency to demand payments using retail gift cards.
Supt Rice said authorities were working with supermarkets and major retail chains to “try and stamp some of that out” by raising awareness when individuals bought thousands of dollars in iTune or shop vouchers.
“What we’re probably seeing at the moment, which is concerning leading up to Christmas, is around the gift card scams we’re seeing,” he said.
“They’ll ask you to go down to your local supermarket or post office and purchase a whole lot of gift cards. You give them the details … and they siphon off the money.”
Speaking ahead of Scams Awareness Week, he said people should be aware of fraudsters, who never talk about their background, refuse to meet or are willing to help at all hours of the day and night.
He said fraud left victims devastated.
“Some people can’t personally afford to lose $10,000 – it’s a lifetime of savings,” he said. “So it’s devastating for them.”
Supt Rice said people should question a surprise email or phone call, and think carefully if they’ve ordered anything.
Never give out details to random phone calls – “they rang you”, he said.
Australian Retailers Association chief executive, Paul Zahra, said: “No legitimate business or government agency will ever ask you to make a payment in this way, so it’s a scam – as simple as that.”
Originally published as Gift-card scams on the rise in lead-up to Christmas, police warn
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